Couple's dream creates a church medical clinic

Updated 11:14 pm, Friday, February 22, 2013

Photo: Photos By Kin Man Hui / San Antonio Express-News

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Dr. Peter Paily (right) prays with nurse Nicole Dennison during a pause between appointments at Malta Medical Clinic on Feb. 7. The clinic is a healthcare ministry of Calvary Chapel of San Antonio and its doctors' visits are free of charge. less

Dr. Peter Paily (right) prays with nurse Nicole Dennison during a pause between appointments at Malta Medical Clinic on Feb. 7. The clinic is a healthcare ministry of Calvary Chapel of San Antonio and its ... more

For enduring the grueling journey through medical school and residencies, Drs. Peter and Sheeba Paily rewarded themselves with new vehicles, furniture and a 3,200-square-foot house.

They had what they dreamed about, yet discontentment set in.

In their 30s, the couple revisited an earlier vision of caring for the poor in such places as India where their parents grew up. Two years ago, in prayer, they took a radical step.

They sold their home, downsized and focused their lucrative salaries on wiping out debt. Then, with their pastor, they began to cultivate an idea of launching a free, medical clinic near their church in Universal City.

The clinic gets its name from the New Testament reference to the island of Malta, where it says the Apostles Paul and Luke were shipwrecked and provided spiritual and medical care.

The Pailys, both 36, now live solely off his income: two days a week at an urgent care center. It “more than covers” living and business costs, including liability insurance, licensing renewal and continuing educational demands, Peter said.

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“For us, we just learned that our contentment comes from the Lord and not from the money and the things,” said Peter, who with Sheeba has two young children. “I truly think we have more joy and more peace now than when we had more money and more stuff.”

Their church, the 1,000-plus-member Calvary Chapel, pumps in volunteers and donations to make the clinic functional. Since its Feb. 4 debut, it has seen about 50 patients.

Rich or poor, insured or not, the clinic takes in anyone so long as the care falls within the scope of the Pailys' expertise as family practice physicians. Patients must be at least 7 years of age. The couple's personal liability insurance protects the clinic from legal challenges, they said.

The clinic handles everything from physicals and initial diagnoses, minor injuries and common illnesses. With friendly smiles, the doctors always offer prayer and spiritual advice — firm believers in a connection between body and soul.

“I've had many patients say there's got to be more than this life,” Sheeba said. “For them, that's depressing. They say, 'I have all this hardship in life, and then when I die, that's it? I'm dead?'”

The clinic is set up like the church's K-12 school, a tuition-free academy made possible from the congregation's donations. The church and clinic are a few units away from each other in the same strip center in Universal City on Pat Booker Road and Loop 1604.

The clinic is an expression of Christian evangelism and compassion attempting to ease the burden of healthcare, church leaders said. What the clinic can't handle, it refers to other nonprofit organizations and discount programs.

The two doctors say their faith drives them to improve on the stereotypical experience of a doctor's office. They vow to spend an hour on most exams. They're nearing the launch of a new records system that allows patients to log in for free, read-only access, and see everything from their charts to notes from the doctor.

“The truth is that is their chart. We want to empower the patient to care for their lives,” Peter said. “It's about being transparent and honest.”

Church volunteers helped remodel the leased space from a long narrow corridor and slab into a multi-room facility with three exam rooms and baby-blue walls. A breakthrough moment came when about $50,000 worth of medical equipment arrived from a fellow church member relocating her practice out of town.

Pamela Rodriguez was among the first patients, commuting 25 minutes from the South Side. A jobless, uninsured, 22-year-old woman, she spent more than hour with Sheeba addressing concerns about an inability to gain weight.

She left with a Bible, suggested readings in the New Testament and a prayer that lab tests would turn out normal and peace would replace stress at home.

“This was the most thorough exam I've ever gotten,” said Rodriguez, a Catholic. “Doctors I've paid (out of pocket) don't do this much....” The Pailys, she said, “are not money-driven.”